Last Updated on March 8, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
My favorite cookies contain just a handful of ingredients. When you want a little sweet fix, you can whip up these Sesame Tahini Cookies in minutes, and they’re even easy enough for the kids to bake by themselves!
These cookies feature tahini, which is usually only used in savory dishes, but which lends wonderful flavor. I adapted them from a book called, Flourless, that I found at Anthropologie. I absolutely love this cookbook! It’s full of flourless baking recipes, so if you need to follow a gluten-free or grain-free diet, it’ll make a wonderful addition to your cookbook library.
Sesame Tahini Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Adapted from Flourless
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Makes 24 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup sesame tahini
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and adjust the rack to the middle position. Line two baking sheets with {unbleached parchment paper|http://amzn.to/1SZwsNP].
- Combine the tahini, honey, egg and sugar in a large bowl and beat well to combine. Place the sesame seeds in a small bowl.
- Using a small cookie scoop (I used a 1-inch scoop), scoop a walnut-size portion of dough and place it into the bowl with the sesame seeds. Carefully roll the dough ball around is it is covered with seeds (the dough will be very soft). Place the dough ball on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Bake about 10-12 minutes until lightly brown on the edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
I only test the recipes on my site with the listed ingredients and measurements. If you would like to try a substitution, you are welcome to share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!
Do these come out crispy or soft, or somewhere in between?
They are in-between. 🙂
Can you substitute chia seeds??
Unfortunately, chia seeds wouldn’t work in this recipe.
Thanks so much for this delicious and not-too-sweet recipe. Just made these and am really enjoying them! I did sub half maple syrup and half date syrup for the honey because I’ve read that honey is unhealthy it is heated (even in baked goods). The dough war very gooey, but loved the result!
Wow! These look awesome. I love the short ingredient list, can’t wait to try!
The book Flourless uses sugar in a lot of the recipes. Do you know if it’s possible to substitute coconut sugar or something else in those recipes? I can’t do sugar so I don’t think the book would be helpful for me. I am excited to try your recipe though! 🙂
I only test the recipes on my site with the listed ingredients and measurements. If you would like to try a substitution, you are welcome to share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!
I made these last night after having them saved on Pinterest for over a year and they came out exactly like the photo! I used Erythritol sugar substitute b/c it’s what I had on hand, but I will get some coconut sugar from the store when I go, and use that for the next batch. The cookies were perfect to take to a small pot luck. One child liked them, the other didn’t. I definitely like them because I like being grain-free, they are pretty, and they are unusual. (also I used a lot more sesame seeds- almost the whole little jar, it was probably closer to 1/2 cup. The jar I had was 3.75 ounces and it’s almost empty. Thanks for sharing such a nice little recipe.
Just made these little gems & wow! I modified slightly (mostly to use up other ingredients); 1) used 1 Tblspn of date sugar + 2 Tblspn of coconut sugar, 2) threw some chopped walnuts in (1/4 c?), 3) 1/2 tsp cinnamon and finally, 4) put some sea salt in with the sesame seeds. Delish!!! Thank you for a great recipe with a brief ingredient list. I couldn’t have modified or gotten such yummy cookies without it!
As I sit here and read the comments of how wonderful everyone’s cookies turned out it is beyond me how you all turned liquid ingredients into dough by adding sugar. My first attempt to pick up the mixture with the scooper and release it into the sesame bowl was hilarious. The runny cream ran out of the scooper and flooded the sesames. There is nothing to roll in or out here. I just dumped it and … let’s try this again. I must have read the recipe 8 times looking for my mistake and my mind is puzzled how this can be correct. I’m hard at giving up, so I decide to put the mixture in the freezer for a while. Now I could at least spoon it directly on the cookie sheet and sprinkle it with sesame. The “rolling the dough in the sesames” is something fascinating to me, it seems as impossible as seeing Santa Claus coming down the chimney. The mixture you call dough ran out pretty quickly in the oven and I gotta say… the flavor is attractive but I’m going to try to add some coconut flour, maybe, to try to get somewhat like a dough out of this because it was super thin. Any sugestion, anyone? You all can email me and since the email is hidden and I don’t get notified when someone responds to this post, I will leave my email here, hoping someone can shine a light on this one, because my husband really likes everything tahini. Thanks, Cristine – 80cristine08@gmail.com
I also found it challenging/impossible to “roll” the “dough” in the sesame seeds. It was too gloppy. Putting it in the freezer is a good idea and I will try that next time. Thanks.
I just made these this morning and had one for morning tea. They are so delicious!! I really love this recipe. All of the ingredients are pantry staples so I had everything ready to go and they take barely any time to make. So good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.